You may be in Iran and want to visit exhibitions or art galleries, but don’t know the dress code for such occasions. In this article, I’m going to walk you through this. First I’ll be talking about essentials and hijab, then fashion pieces of advice for women with hijab and then dress codes in exhibitions. By the end, you will know everything about how to dress in Iran and what to pack.

Essentials

You need to pack some essentials to wear for your trip to Iran. Ladies remember that when your airplane lands in Iran, the crew will give you scarves to cover your hair but you need to pack these kinds of stuff too:

Underwear and bras. This is optional but advised for Iran.

A pair of leggings, jeans or any kind of pants. Sometimes long skirts that cover your ankles work too

A shirt or coat or tunic or cardigan that cover your breasts, arms, and stomach

Guys should pack these:

Jeans or any kind of pants that cover your ankles

Shirts or coats

Hijab

Hijab is for both men and women. For men as long as they cover their legs and upper body they’re ok.

On the other hand, women have to cover their hair, upper body, and legs.

Iran follows Islamic rules and every tourist must have hijab. But don’t worry, the dress code in Iran is more casual than you think.

To summarize it (for both male and female):

Hair: Your hair must be covered all the time (Females). But don’t panic if you cover falls of your hair. Just fix it.

Legs: Your legs must be covered down to the ankle

Arms: Your forearms can be uncovered but cover the shoulders, breasts, and top of arms

Feet: Feet can be uncovered

Also if ladies want to wear Iranian hijab dresses you can buy Mantow, Chador and local costumes from clothing stores of Iran.

Fashion tips with Hijab (Females)

First of all, dress colorfully. If on some websites you read that you must wear black in Iran, they’re wrong. There’s absolutely no limit on wearing colors. Maybe you like to wear dark and that’s ok too. But if you wear colorful in your country, you can do that in Iran too.

Tight jeans are ok. You can wear loose pants or tight jeans. Whichever makes you more comfortable.

One other trick to be good looking whilst wearing hijab is to wear long-sleeved tunics or long-sleeved shirts especially if you are traveling in summer. You can wear them with loose pants or tight jeans and either way you will look wonderful.

Manteau is a piece of hijab dress made in Iran for covering the upper body and parts of the lower body. They are made in a variety of styles and colors. You can wear them with anything you like. They’re a good choice for a handsomely-dressed-hijab-wearing female tourist.

Shawls and Scarves are to cover your hair. Light shawls have been growing in international fashion shows. Although how to wear them in Iran is a bit different but as long as you cover your hair, you can wear them however you like. Shawls and Scarves, like Mantows, are made in colors and various designs. There’s no harm in trying them.

Makeup is popular in Iran. Some women overuse them and some wear just the right amount.

Nail polish on hands or feet is common in Iran too. So if you’re wearing sandals and you want to use nail polish on your feet or hands it will help you look more stylish. Ignore articles that say Iranians hate nail polish.

Skirts are not very common among Iranian women but some wear them so tourists can wear them too. Recently skirts have become more popular. But when it comes to hijab, you should wear leggings or long sucks underneath your skirts. Also, you must wear long skirts that cover your ankles.

There’s absolutely no limit for your feet. You can wear high heels, boots, sneakers or sandals.

Dress code in Exhibitions

How do you dress for exhibitions and art galleries in your country? Do that in Iran too. But women must consider hijab.

If men hate suits, just wear something stylish. In exhibitions, you may find Iranian men wearing T-Shirts with jeans. Just remember it all depends on the kind of event you are going to. If it’s an art gallery, you can dress very casual. If it’s a scientific or technology exhibition you can either wear suits or jeans with shirts. But if you are having a speech in these exhibitions, you better wear suits.

By the way, you are in Iran and people are more easygoing comparing to Europeans. Especially if you are a tourist, nobody expects you to be the best-dressed man or woman in the room. Just be comfortable and stylish.